Metallic tie.



No. 825,800. PATENTED JULY 10, 1906 T. BERNTSON.

METALLIC TIE.

APPLICATION FILED um. 24. was.

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THOMAS BERNTSON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

METALLIC TlE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed August 24, 1905. Serial No. 2523.651.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tnonas BnRNTsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metallic Ties, of which the following is a specification.

Theinvention relates to an improvement in railway-ties and in means for securing the rails to said ties. V

The main object of the present invention is the production of means whereby the rails may be removably secured to a tie of particular construction, the securing means comprising a minimum number of parts and adapted to fix the rail with relation to the tie against the possibility of accidental dis-V engagement.

Another object of the invention is the pro duotion of securing means adapted for ready cooperation with a strip of insulating material, whereby to insulate the rail from the tie and securing means.

Another object of the invention is the production of a metallic tie adapted to be read ily supported and held in the road-ballast and of comparatively light weight.

The preferred details of construction of" the present inventionwill be described in the following specification, reference being had articularly to the accompanying drawings 111 which- Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating my improved tie and securing means the railroad-rails being shown in place. Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of the tie and securing means, the rail heing shown in section. Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the securing means adapted for use in conjunction with a guard-rail. Fig. 4 is a broken side elevation of the tie. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the tie and the rail-supporting plate secured thereto. Fig. 6 is 3. erspeetive of the preferred form of clamping- 'key. Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views of modified forms of the key. Fig. 9 is a transverse section through a modified form of tie. Fi 10 is a transverse section through anot er form of tie, iilostrating particularly a modified form of supporting-plate.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, my improved railroad-tie comprises an inverted-T-shaped rail 1, which-in its preferred form has a. flat Sup orting-plates 7 are secured. on each side 0 the web 3 of the tie intermediate the openings 6, each of said plates comprising a web portion 8, designed to rest in contact with the web of the tie and formed at its upper end in alinement with the upper edge of the web with an enlargement or right-an led projection 9. Near the lower end the ate is bent laterally away from the weii of the tie and downwardly in contact with the base of the tie, thereby providingan opening orfireoess 10 for the reception of a portion of the clamping-keys, as hereinafter described. It is to he understood that two of the su porting=plates are secured to the web of tlie tie in transverse alinement thereof and direetly beneath the rail, the projections 9 of said supporting-plates formin a comparatively broad bearing for the rai 11 represents what I term the clampingkey, com rising a broad head 12, from one edge of w 'ch depend spaced arms 13, the

are bent at apiower or free ends of which proximatel 1 right angles to provide lugs 14, extending om the arms in the same direc tion as the head 12. The lower surface of the head 12 and the up or surface of the lugs 14 are inclined from t e horizontal, the former u wardly and the latter downwardly, to p rovi e for the clamping action desired.

he arms 13 arespaeed apart a sufiicient distance to permit the passage therebetween of the web 30f the tie, so that in use one arm is in contact with each of the respective sides of the web.

In use, assuming the silpportingplates riveted or otherwise secure in pro or position on the tie, the rail is (positioned upon said plates and the upper e e of the tie and the clamping-keys positions by straddling their arms on the web of the tie and engagin the under side of the head of the key witli the base-flange of the rail, the ln s 14 fitting within the recesses 10, formed etween the lower ends of the supporting-plates and the tie-web. A wedge-pin is then driven into each of the recesses 6, it being understood that said recesses are so spaced as to extend beyond the clamping-keys when the latter are in place. The pins 15 are of the cotterpin type, and after being properly seated to wedge the keys upon the base-flanges of the rails one or both of the split terminals may be turned to prevent accidental withdrawal of the wedge. By preference, however, the wedge-pin is of such len th that the terminal of the upper section of t 1e pin may be turned upward to rest upon the upper edge of the web, as shown at 16 in Fi 1, thereb positively preventing its accid ental with rawal.

As shown in the drawings, two clampingkeys are used as a securing means for each rail, being positioned on the respective sides thereof and operating in conjunction with the wedging-pins 15 to securely hold the rail against possibility of accidental movement. It will be further noted that each of the clamping-keys snugly embraces the web of the tie, thereby increasing its efficiency as a holding means and reducing the liability of any independent movement of the key.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a modified form of clamping-key wherein the head 12 is pro vided with a vertically-extendin portion 17, designed when the key is in p acc to bear against the web of the rail and terminate approximately in contact with the lower surface of the rail-tread. This form of ke provides an added support against possibi ity of lateral displacement of the rail and is particularly effective for use in curves or the like. It is frequently desirable and necessary in railroad construction to provide an additional or uard rail, as 18, for use in conjunction wit the main rail, and I contemplate the adaptation of my securing means to this guard-rail. For this purpose supportingplates 19, similar in all respects to the lates 7, with the exce tion that they are 0 considerably less width, are secured to the tie in position to support said guard-rail. The remote half of t 1e base-flange of the uard-rail is secured by a clamping-key simi ar to the preferred construction, an additional 0 ening 20 being formed in the web of the tie ibr the reception of the wedge-pin to cooperate with this key. The clamping-key for use between the main and guard rails in this instance, however, is of modified construction, bein adapted to clamp the approximate flanges 0 both rails in position. To this end the clamping-key, which is otherwise of the construction previously described is provided with a head 21, extending in both directions beyond ihe arms 13, thereby affording a projection in- ;egral with the key and designed to engage .he adjacentvbase-flanges of the main and guard rails, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This nodified clamping-key is secured by the previously-described wedge-pin 15, and it is to permit the proper insertion of this pin that the supporting-plates are reduced in width.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a modified form of tie, in that the base 22 thereof is concaveconvex in transverse section and has slight vertically-projecting edge flanges 23. This form of tie may in some instances be more readily held in place owing to the additional gripping-surface provided for the ballast or cement filling.

In Fig. 10 an additional form of tie is illus trated, wherein the base 24 is provided with vertically-projecting spaced webs 25, arranged in arallel order and preferably near the side edges of the base. In this instance the outerside of each of the webs 25 is provided with a supporting-plate similar in all res sets to the plate 7, While between the we s I arrange a U-shaped supporting-plate 28, the arms 29 of which contact with the inner surface of each of the webs, the cross-bar 30, joining said arms, being positioned above the base 24 of the tie to provide the space 31 necessary for the reception of the lugs 14 of the clamping-keys. With this form of tie I prefer to secure the rails by two clampingeys for each rail arranged diagonally of the tiethat is, the clamping-key on oneside of the rail cooperating with one web 25 and the clamping-key on the op osite side of the rail (:06 eratin with the other web. It is to be un erstoo however, that, if desired, I may use four clamping-keys with each rail, two of said keys cooperating with each of the tie webs 25.

It is to be particularly noted that the securing means of my invention is readily adapted for cooperating with a suitable insulating-strip to effectively insulate the rails and permit their use as conductors in signaling systems. In the preferred form shown in Fig. 2 the insulating-strip 32 extends around the base-flange of the rail and under lies the head of the clampin -keys. In the modified forms illustrated in I ig. 3 the insulating-strip 33 is arranged beneath the baseflange of the rail and is of such length and width as to extend between the clampingkey and rail wherever necessary, thus completely insulating the rail from metallic contact with the tie or securing means and er mittin use of the rail as a conductor. hen desiref to remove the rail, it is only necessarg to withdraw one or the other of the we ing-pins and remove the proximate clamping-key, the rail beingthereupon readily slipped from under the opposite key.

In the manufacture of the ties the recesses or openings 6 and 20 are to be formed therein, thereb adapting the ties for guard-rail support, i desired. I also contemplate the securin of the usual supporting-plates 7 to the tie uring its manufacture, whereby it is ready for service with the rails by simply securing the clamping-keys in place. By preference the supporting-plates 7 are riveted to the tie, an additional opening being provided to permit the securing in place of the guardrail-supporting plate 19 when desired by bolting or otherwise.

Owing to the inclinations on the under side of the head 12 and upper side of the lugs 14 of the clamping-key, the action of the wedge-pin in setting this key will clamp or wedge the head and lugs onto the rail-flange and against the upper wall of the recess 10, respectively, materially aiding in securing the parts in position.

It will be noted that the various parts of my improved tie and securing means may be readily rolled or made up of rolled material, thereby increasing the strength of the respective parts without adding to their weight.

In securing the rails in lace no bolts or s ikes are used, and as all parts are interc angeable provision is made against loss of time in setting the rails.

Another important advanta e resulting from the construction above, escribed is that I am thereby enabled to alter within reasonable variation the gage of the track-- as, for instance, in widening the age the outer wedge of either one or botl i of the tracks is reduced to limit the outward movement of the track to the point desired, white the inner gage is increased in width, so that when driven to its seat it will move the clamping-keys and track tightly against the initially-set wedge, thus moving the track to the extent desired. It is understood, of course, that the openings formed in the web of the tie and the supporting-plates are so arranged as to permit this movement. It is therefore obvious that by the use of propersized wedged pins the gage of the track may be increased or decreased, as desired, within the limits afforded by the size of the openings 6 and the width of the sup orting-plates.

Having thus described t e invention, what is claims as new is 1. The combination with a railway tie having a projecting web, of rail-supporting means secured thereto, and rail securing means adapted to engage the opposite sides of the tieweb and removably on age and be operatively secured in place by t e rail-supportir ilglmeans.

2. e combination with a tie having a projecting web, rail-su porting means secured thereto, and a rail supported thereon, of rail-clam ring keys designed to removably engage and e cperatively secured in place by the rail-supporting means.

3. The combination with a tie having a projecting web and means secured thereto for supporting the rail, of clarnp'ng-kc s adapted to engage the rail and removab y enga e and be operatively secured in place by t e rail-supporting means, and means carried by the tie to engage the keys.

4. The combination with a tie having a projecting web, of clamping-keys designed to embrace the web and engage the rail, and means carried by. the tie to removably receive and operatively secure said keys, said. means serving to support the rail.

5. The combination with a tie having a projectin web and plates secured on the opposite si es thereof, said plates terminating on a plane with the upper edge of the web and forming with said web edge a rail-su port, of clamping-keys arranged to strad e the web and engage the rail and plates, and an insulating-strip inserted between the flange of the rail, the supporting-plates and clamping-keys.

6. The combination with a tie having a projecting web, ofsupportingplates secured to said web and terminating in alinement with the 11 per ed e of the web, the lower ends of sai plates icing offset from the web to provide recesses, and clamping-keys arranged to straddle the web and engage the rails, th lower end of said keys engaging the recesses formed between the supportingplates and the tie-web.

I. The combination with a tie having a proiecting .web, of rail-supporting plates secared to the web and terminatin coincidently with the u per edge thereo clam in -keys to stradd e the web and engage t e m1 at the 11 per end, the lower on of the lates being ormed to receive and secure the ower ends of said keys.

8. The combination with a tie having a projecting web, of rail-supporting plates secured to the web and terminatin coincidently with the u per edge thereo clam in keys to stradd e the web and an age t e rail at the u per end, the lower en of the lates being 'orrned to receive and secure the ower ends of said keys, and wedging-pins to engage the tie-web and bear against the clam ing-keys.

9. 'lhe combination with a tie having a base ortion and a web projecting centrally there cm, of sup orting-plates secured on opposite sides of t e web in transverse alinement, and clampin -keys comprising heads adapted to bear on t e rails, depending arms to engage o posite sides of the web, and lugs projecting om said arms and adapted to engage recesses formed in the su portingplates, and wedge-pins adapted to e inserted through openin s in the web and engage both of the arms 0 the clam ing-key.

V In testimony whereof I a my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS BERNTSON. Witnesses:

Jenn L. FLETCHER, DAVID W. GOULD. 

